More Music Mondays: Intelligent songs edition

We have two great songs today. Yay.

No. 1: “MuthoniKifagio” by Newton “short-but-tough-Karish” Karish aka KK Karish

Why do all these boys bands rock cowboy-chic attire? I digs it. 

Where does one start with this blessing of a song?

It wins EVERYTHING.

•  Melody- Check.
• Writing- check.
•  Getdownability- Please attempt not to move and watch how miserably you will fail.
• Video- Bankai.

In my view, contemporary Kenyan artists rarely know who they are or what their aesthetic is. There always seems to be a need to be a version of something. Sometimes it’s subtle, other times painfully obvious. So it is incredibly refreshing to come across a musician who not only knows who he is but is completely legit in his craft.

This song is smartly written. Karish tells us the story of an unfaithful lover using hilarious, localized metaphors, perfect harmonies and those incredible katitu guitars . Dude leaves you in stitches when in reality, the story is pretty grim. A real comedian.

This is the thing about this song: Whoever you are, whatever your background, whatever you are doing, when this song comes on, you will pay attention. That is rare.

I don’t know when the song came out, but from the video it looks like it could have been some time in the late 90s or early 2000s. Karish has since been elected as the county representative for Muminji Ward in Mbeere North. I don’t know if he’s put the mic down… hope not. It would be a damn shame.

Check out his other songs on the Youtubes.

No. 2: “Bunny in a bunny suit” by Simone White

Sharing Muthoni Kifagio’s authenticity and intelligence is this minimal, folksy number by Simone White.

I heard this song yesterday on a movie called “the pretty one” which is quite lovely. Tafuteni.

The existential lyrics and fractal analogies coupled with the melancholic guitar and White’s now-talking, now singing voice, make me get a weird suspicion right in the middle of my back, that God exists.

All ye non-believers...

I do not think I can listen to a bunch of songs like these though. Too many feels.

Check out her facebook page and website if you digs it.

For the next two weeks we will have guest posts from my very cool friends Tony and Josh. Check out their stuffs here and here.

After that, I will be changing things up a bit. Will raid people’s hard drives and force them at gun point asking them to share the stories behind their musics.

If you would like me to come visit you, let me know on twitter.

I’ll bring a watermelon.

K.